Emma Thompson joins The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson

EMMA Thomson is to star in I>The Long Midnight of Barney Thomson, a dark comedy-thriller that marks the directorial debut of actor Robert Carlyle.

Carlyle will also star as Barney Thomson in the film, which has also nabbed veteran Ray Winstone and Ewen Bremner among its ensemble.

Based on the popular series of novels by Douglas Lindsay, the film follows Barney, a Scottish barber, who stumbles into the world of a serial murder via a series of accidental events.

Thompson, last seen in Disney’s Saving Mr Banks, will play Barney’s mother, who emasculates him at every turn, while Winstone is detective inspector Holdall, who has to deal with an inept homicide department.

Thompson’s other forthcoming projects include Jason Reitman’s Men, Women & Children and the thriller Survivor, while Winstone will next appear in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah.

Scottish actor Carlyle is hitherto best known for roles in Trainspotting, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough and 28 Weeks Later.